Chapter 23

# 23

User Manual for the Reincarnated 023

The Calculating Killer (1)

From the beginning, I had no choice. According to Park Deok-gu's plan, Jung Hae-yeon would have felt repulsion towards the first option.

No, even if I had any thoughts, the probability was high that Jung Hae-yeon would have already run towards the second option.

“Snore.”

Seeing Park Deok-gu snoring beside me, my mood twisted.

There was no way I would think about falling in love here.

It's irrational to harbor such feelings in a place where you might die at any moment.

Having a relationship is a completely different story.

I didn't want to get any closer to a woman who might cut me up at any time, but….

‘I have to.’

Ironically, the only way to avoid the ending where I am torn to pieces and die is to get closer to her.

The most dangerous person and the most trustworthy person at the same time.

I don't enjoy gambling, but if necessary, I'm prepared to roll the dice.

Nodding briefly at the reality I didn't want to admit, I opened my mouth to Park Deok-gu, who was still snoring.

“Wake up.”

“Snore….”

“Wake up, Deok-gu.”

“Snore… What? Is it already morning?”

“We're leaving a bit early.”

“Hey, miss. Wake up.”

“……”

“Looks like you slept deeply… Miss, it's time to wake up.”

“……”

“Snore… It seems our miss has turned into a sleeping beauty in the forest… Does this mean we need a prince's kiss?”

‘Bastard.’

His tone seemed to be deliberately provoking me.

I wanted to set his mouth on fire.

Fortunately, most of my mana had recovered. I couldn't understand why such a simple line made me feel like I was being pushed to my limits.

Still, since I had to wake Jung Hae-yeon, I had to move my feet slightly.

“Hae-yeon.”

“……”

“Hae-yeon, you need to wake up.”

“Mm….”

When I gently stroked her head, Jung Hae-yeon finally rubbed her eyes and got up, still looking half-asleep.

I could see her startled and flustered when she saw me, but for some reason, even that made me feel a bit scared.

“Ah… Ah. Yes, brother.”

“We're heading to the shelter right away.”

“Understood.”

“Let's eat something simple and get ready to leave.”

“Sure. Leave the preparations to me.”

After a simple meal, we quickly got ready to move.

Someone once said that humans are creatures of adaptation. Seeing everyone start their day in their own way, I realized how true that was.

“Kim Hyun-sung, I don't know if that guy is okay, but I'm not sure if the shelter is safe either. It seems like they've been away for a long time.”

“Probably fine. As long as the guys there don't go out hunting for no reason….”

“Wouldn't it be better if they could do it properly? We need more people who can fight….”

Of course, if they can hunt properly, there's no reason for us to stop them.

“Do you think the guys who were hiding in fear will suddenly change their minds and go out hunting? The probability is low, and even if they do, they'll all die if they can't do it properly. It might be better that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hope there's no situation like Park Hye-young's.”

The probability of the people in the shelter going out hunting is low.

However, if they form a party and go out to hunt monsters, there is a worst-case scenario we need to consider.

Of course, I can't say my judgment is always right….

“The worst scenario is if they panic, scream, and attract all the monsters, then return to the shelter.”

“……”

“……”

“Probably no one will think the shelter is in danger. Everyone will be too busy trying to save themselves. Scared people can't make rational decisions…. Eventually, the monsters will overwhelm the entrance, and the shelter will be finished.”

“That sounds terrifying even to imagine.”

It really is terrifying.

“The reason Kim Hyun-sung told us to take a detour is probably because there might still be monsters chasing us.”

“Brother, the more I think about it, the smarter he seems.”

I'm not smart at all.

“That's not true.”

I just always think of the worst-case scenarios and act accordingly.

Even as we kept moving, I felt uneasy. Just imagining the situation I mentioned earlier made my mouth dry.

Actually, I don't care what happens to the people in the shelter, but I don't want to lose the resources and supplies we left there.

We've stabilized the place.

Since the path to conquering the dungeon is still unclear, the shelter is still a necessary place for us.

As we walked, the atmosphere seemed strangely quiet.

The silence was a bit uncomfortable, so I started a conversation with Park Deok-gu and Jung Hae-yeon. Before long, the shelter came into view.

The entrance was tightly sealed, different from usual.

I could see Lee Ji-hye removing the pile of stones and coming out. It took her a while to clear the stones. As she slowly approached, she smiled and spoke.

“Brother Gi-yeong, Brother Deok-gu, you're here? Where are Hye-young and Hyun-sung?”

“Park Hye-young is dead, and Hyun-sung will be back soon.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lee Ji-hye closed her eyes for a moment and nodded, continuing.

“What happened…?”

“Explaining it would take a while. Did anything happen at the shelter while we were gone?”

“Hmm… Can I tell you in private?”

She clearly wanted to talk in a more relaxed setting.

Lee Ji-hye's expression didn't look good. Something must have happened.

I don't know why, but I always have a bad feeling, and it's never wrong.

I glanced back at Park Deok-gu, who nodded, indicating it was fine.

He would probably want to hear it from me later, but I was more concerned about Jung Hae-yeon's reaction.

Since talking to Lee Ji-hye was necessary for me, I gently stroked Jung Hae-yeon's head and spoke.

“Do you want to go inside and wait? I'll be right there.”

“Ah! Yes… Yes, brother.”

I was worried that Lee Ji-hye might have been torn to pieces.

As we entered the shelter, I occasionally glanced back, and her gaze reminded me of Park Hye-young.

Once they were out of sight, Lee Ji-hye slowly spoke.

“What happened to Park Hye-young?”

“She got what she deserved. She screamed in a place full of monsters. That's why Kim Hyun-sung isn't with us… Do you want to know more?”

“No. I can guess what happened.”

I could see her glancing back. I don't know if she was looking at the path Jung Hae-yeon took, but it felt like she had a rough idea of what happened.

It was just a guess, but I realized Lee Ji-hye was a bit quicker than I thought.

“We need to wrap this up quickly.”

“What happened?”

“A few people, including Yoo Seok-woo, went outside.”

‘I knew it.’

“When?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“You.”

“I know. I tried to convince them that it was more reasonable to wait for you and Hyun-sung to return.”

“……”

“I'm just a powerless woman, right?”

I could understand the situation.

Showing magic in front of people had a negative impact.

Yoo Seok-woo was already in a disadvantaged position due to the trouble with Jung Hae-yeon.

It's not unreasonable to think he wanted to do something to improve his standing.

He probably thought he could gain the same power we had and wanted to be like us.

Apart from Lee Ji-hye, who seemed to be the manager, the power of Park Deok-gu, Kim Hyun-sung, and I was absolute here.

I sighed briefly and continued.

“Wasn't it your job to stop them?”

“I did my best. People were getting anxious because you and Hyun-sung were late, and I couldn't refuse when they said they wanted to send a rescue team.”

“The rescue team is bullshit… People who usually don't care…. So you blocked the entrance?”

“Yes. We can't all die together, right?”

The entrance was blocked for that reason.

If the so-called rescue team, led by Yoo Seok-woo, was chased by monsters and sought help from the shelter, the entrance would be their first target.

From the way Lee Ji-hye thought about blocking and not opening the entrance, it seemed she was also trying to protect the shelter.

“I hoped the stupid kid who only causes trouble would just die… But an unexpected person came back. What should we do… People will be scared…. Do we still need more people who can fight?”

“The more, the better.”

Actually, conquering this dungeon is Kim Hyun-sung's job.

The person who thinks we need more people who can fight is also Kim Hyun-sung.

He seems to think we need to increase our numbers before going to the lower floors.

“What about you?”

Even though I considered Lee Ji-hye as trash in my mind, she was still better than someone like Park Hye-young.

She wouldn't recklessly make decisions or scream in the middle of things.

She would likely calmly do her job behind Park Deok-gu.

“I decline.”

“……”

“I'm scared, and I don't want to get involved in unnecessary things and die. The power you showed is definitely amazing and tempting… but greed is a sure path to death.”

“……”

“Can a sparrow follow a stork? Sparrows have their own way of living.”

I understand what she's saying.

It felt like it applied to me as well, making my mouth a bit bitter, but her thinking was rational.

“Living in a war zone where you might die at any moment… wouldn't it be better to find a capable man and live a peaceful life?”

I felt a presence from somewhere as we were having this conversation.

Turning my head naturally, I saw a few dolls walking towards us from the front.

‘Yoo Seok-woo?’

The one walking in front was definitely Yoo Seok-woo.

However, the three dolls walking behind him were people I hadn't seen in the shelter before.

“The one I wanted to die the most is the only one who came back. And he even has a scar….”